Countless odes, poems, prose, musical pieces, paintings, sculptures, and songs have been created throughout the ages in the name of beauty. The fact that most of these types of art continue to be relished and admired to this day speaks volumes about the emotional power of beauty.

PA R A D OX :PA R A D OX :

PA R A D OX : a v i s u a l e s s ay o f b e a u t y

Beauty is almost always regarded as a positive trait and something that is inherently good.

And yet some of the planet’s most horrendous atrocities have been committed in the name of beau-ty. Notions and ideals of beauty indeed have profound social and political implications, particular-ly for women. To ignore this fact would be delusional. Equally delusional, however, would be the idea that beauty is inherently bad and must therefore be dis-pelled with in the human psyche. Yes, beauty has been involved in some pretty heinous crimes, but it has also brought indescrib-able joy and even hope to peo-ple since the beginning of time. Regarding beauty, I believe that it is yet another part of life that one must take the bad with the good, and hopefully try to ameliorate the

bad.

Beauty, by its very nature

is unequal.

How else can we con-sider something beau-tiful if it does not stand out from the average?

This fact can have negative consequences for those who strive to be beautiful.

Someone will always be more beautiful; no mat-ter how much one diets, starves oneself, exercises, puts on makeup, or under-goes plastic surgery. In their article “Beauty is the Beast,” Saltzberg and Chrisler note the fact that, “The value of beauty depends in part on the high costs of achieving it. Such costs may be phys-ical, temporal, economic, or psychological.” Young women have wasted away and died in a desperate and tragic search for the ever elusive and cruel ideals of beauty. For these individuals, beauty has been associated with acceptance and love: if only they could be just a little more attractive, surely

everyone will like them and accept them with open arms. Until only very recently in Western, beauty essentially was a woman’s only bargaining tool to use against men. Philosophy professor Christine Koggel notes that beauty has provided women with a false sense of power over the ages, as the pri-mary judges of physical beauty have been men. Only if she was beautiful would a woman be accepted by men, yet only by using her beauty in manipula-tive ways could she maintain at least a semblance of control over herself, such as withhold-ing sex from her amorous man and always keeping him

wanting.

In recent years, it has no longer been the case that women are so pathologically dependent on men, yet I would argue that the majority of women still base much of their self-esteem on their outward physical appear-ance. The ideal of beauty, in this sense, is internally driven. One could and should argue that Madison Avenue is largely to blame for transmitting unre-alistic ideals of femininity, yet most of the women who buy into these ideals seem to have an unrealistic mental model of their own

beauty.

Other ideals of beauty are externally directed and, in many cas-es, all the more atrocious. Perhaps the single worst deed that has ever been committed in human history—the Holocaust—can be argued to have been based on the “beauty” of the Aryan race and the “lack” of beauty of the Jews. “Ethnic cleansing” going on the Balkans, too, can atleast partially be explained by superficial and esoteric standards of beauty.

On a less extreme scale, criminals who are judged to be “unattractive” are given harsher sentences than criminals deemed “attractive.” People are more likely to befriend or help a stranger who is attractive than one who is not attractive. The saying “People like you better if you’re pretty” is sadly very true. On all these counts, beauty does not seem to be such a positive trait at all.

Indeed, it seems to be the instigator of everything that is wrong with the

world.

On the other hand, we absolutely cannot get rid of our senses of beauty.

Biology professor Paul Grobstein describes how the experience of beauty is, first and foremost, a biological process. Whether it aids us in an evo-lutionary sense or in a more day-to-day sense of “that which is beautiful is good and should not be avoided” sense, perceptions of beauty clearly are useful for humans in many ways.

Only through serious and extreme alterations in our neurological systems could we avoid our experiences of beauty.

It feels good to look upon an attractive person. I for one find it highly emotional and fulfilling to gaze upon a beautiful face. People who are beautiful often give me inspiration and renewed hope for humankind. Furthermore, even "ugly" people can be considered beautiful in their own ways. Beauty is subjective, despite what Madison Avenue tells you.

I truly believe that we are all

beautiful.

Beauty itself, then, is clearly not to blame.

People who abuse it and enforce their perceptions of it onto other people are the real culprits. Instead of making futile attempts to eradicate human perceptions of beauty from the world, I believe what we instead should endeavor to do is to trust our own personal experiences/per-ceptions of beauty, become comfortable with our own unique beauty and forget what the media dictate to us, and move on with our own

lives.

Sounds swell, but how do we do it? That is the Achilles’ heel. I will be honest—I have absolutely no idea. It may not even be possible. But to have an idea and to recognize that we have been duped throughout the ages on what is truly beauti-ful can at least clue us in to the fact that there is more to physical beauty than what meets the eye. Considering all that standards of beauty have wrought upon us over time, to at least have a plan, how-ever vague and idealistic that plan surely is, seems to me at least to be a good first step. We can ameliorate the bad that standards of beauty incur. I don’t know how to do it, but maybe someday someone will figure it out.

Until that day comes, I for one will strive to be confident enough in my own unique, per-sonalized standards of beauty to enjoy my life and not get too hung up on what Big Brother tries to tell me. In the end how we feel about ourselves, and not how others think about us, is what truly makes the difference.

McGinness, Katy. "The Paradox of Beauty." The Paradox of Beauty.

Joan Fontcuberta, landscapes without memory

Alexey Brodo-Vitch by Gabriel Bauret “

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